Fitbit don't do out of warranty repairs

[anonOmni]

I hope this message will reverberate through this site and beyond but a 660 million dollar company that doesn't fix it's products out of warranty if you choose you want to pay to get it fixed?

"Sorry sir it's not covered by our warranty but we can offer you the chance to buy a new more expensive one from us as we don't price match other retailers discounts but we still call it discounted" great buisness ethics James Park and Eric Friedman way to contribute to consumeristic waste!

[WavyDavey]

Hi @anonOmni,

Sorry to hear that. To be fair, I don't think that is a Fitbit-only policy. The way electronics (especially small ones) are assembled these days make them highly impractical-to-impossible to service.

If the motherboard on my phone goes out, I can't get that fixed either. If my flatscreen TV goes out, I don't think it can be repaired either nor my mp3 player. It seems we live in an era of replacement.

[anonOmni]

That is not what customers want, with anything requiring a large mother board perhaps slightly more acceptable but not for something that is considered a wearable item that gets wear and tear.... My dog chewed myn could happen to anyone, but it's £139.00 down the drain because you can't replace a screen? It's not even waterproof! If you can't repair them make them cheaper!! It must be extremely cheap to make these pebbles now!

[JohnnyRow]

How much are you willing to pay to get it repaired?  If it would cost more to get repaired than replaced, would you still rather pay for the repair?

[anonOmni]

Obviously less then the worth of a replacement, and surely that should depend on what needs repairing of course (just a screen) and how much does it cost to build the whole pebble? Maybe £10? 

Why not manufacture things to be repairable anyway? Do you condone consumeristic waste... Would you rather pay a little to repair something then pay £139.00 for a new one? 

[WendyB]

I'm sorry but I agree with @JohnnyRow

I'm really sorry its not repairable. But most items like this are not

Maybe keep and expensive item out of the reach of an Animal from chewing it?

[anonOmni]

Thanks for that wisdom there, but many other things could happen to it outside of the warranty but they should be making these repairable and the fact they have replaced it and said in the future they should be doing it is kind of the proof in the pudding.... I doubt most people would buy a watch/wearable that wasn't repairable. But that's my opinion. 

[RunAnkurRun]

Same Issue of broken glass. Product out of warranty and response from Customer Service Team.

******While we appreciate your willingness in paying for the repair amount, however, Fitbit is yet to established a repair center nor provide spare parts to change the top glass. We hope for your understanding.

Unfortunately we have explored all possible ways to help you, but we need to stand behind our policies.  We can't replace your Blaze.****************

Even today they dont have a way to repair the products. It effectively means that the Fitbit product life is only upto the warranty period. After that its at the mercy of luck.

[Smgupta]

Sad, from Indian standard, it's too costly to replace every year if anything goes wrong after the warranty period. They should access if it's a manufacturing defect, it must be replaced even after the warranty period.

[Patrakorn]

I experienced in the same situation after using one year and a few months. They asked me to buy a new one from their collection, no way that I am gonna do it. I let everyone know on my channel and hope that nobody will have to face their products that last only for one year as me again. They should be really proud of what they make for living. PS. Checking their stock price and enjoying what I see, they deserve it. Cheers.

[walkover]

It is a sad truth I learned recently when my Charge 2 screen froze. I was shocked to learn about this. 

[revkool]

Fibit should at least, at a minimum, offer battery replacement for its products out of warranty, which is what my Charge 2 needs.  Why should I buy another Fitbit product when they don't have a repair center???

[revkool]

Fibit could receive my Charge 2 and then inform me what it will cost to replace the battery so that I can make an educated decision.

[Arvindkbal]

I bought mine in 2017 December, a fitbit Blaze. Was working fine as I started using the same in 2018 somewhere in october. Few days back my tracker didn't switched on. I called the fitbit consumer care and asked them the solution. They provided a simple solution to it. Dump that Blaze and buy a new one. Something worth 20K, I never expected to end like this. I also have a samsung R360, which has been repaired few times, although it's because of the manufacturing fault. The charger point get rubbed of in every 6 months due to sweat. That was the reason I bought fitbit and now you hear from a reputable company like fitbit to buy a new one.

Isnt it ridiculous?

[revkool]

Yes , it is ridiculous! When my Fitbit stopped working I was told by Fitbit, “We don’t have a repair center. You have to buy a new one.”
Given it was at a discounted price, but I just wanted mine repaired.
Never again.

Sent from my iPhone

[MarkReth]

Getting to customer support is not going to solve your problem. I contacted them several times about the same "known problem" and they are useless and there is no real escalation to get help. These watches are disposable and Fitbit just wants you to buy another one. I got so frustrated with Fitbit and their "lack of" customer support that I just threw it away and bought an Apple and have not had any issues in 3 years.

[revkool]

Yes, I found the same thing to be true. Frustrated, I threw mine away never to buy another Fitbit. Fool me once. Can’t fool me twice. I gave Fitbit every chance to repair/replace my beloved Fitbit. All they wanted to do was sell me another one. Right or wrong, that’s not the answer I was expecting.

Sent from my iPhone

[Smgupta]

Agree, the costly watches from Fitbit should have a much better warranty conditions.

If it’s a manufacturing defect, the warranty should be extended.

With regards,
Moderator edit: personal info removed

[revkool]

And, there should be a repair option. We send it back, Fitbit evaluates, then tells us cost of repair vs. buy new.
Just my thoughts.
Dennis

Sent from my iPhone

[YoyoWick]

Hi @anonOmni,

I have a similar predicament myself, I need to replace the screen.

However unlike the vast majority of people on this thread, I think it's worth trying to replace the screen myself.

Even if you are not keen to replace yourself, have you tried finding an electronics repair shop to do the task?

Apart from the cost of the replacement parts it should not be too bad, and think of the materials saved from landfill too.

Kind regards

J